My Doctor
by MarisPallitax
Summary: The Doctor had always shared a special connection with the TARDIS, but one that is deeper than it had originally seemed. Please R&R, even if you don't like! Writing began pre-The Doctor's Wife.
1. How Can A Time Machine Cry?

The Doctor sighed heavily, leaning against the doors of the TARDIS, as Rory and Amy were off oo-ing and ah-ing over the self-cleaning willow pattern plates. Typical. He takes them to Bazool, the only planet in the Universe with glass that grows itself, and Rory wants to go shopping. Amy wasn't too keen on the plates at first, until the Doctor pointed out that they'd never need to wash up again. She was very interested after that.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me, then," he smiled, rubbing the TARDIS's wooden panels. She hummed back appreciatively in reply.

The gangly gallefreyan then saw both Amy and Rory come into view. Through he was disappointed to see that they were not heading back towards him, merely into another shop. He finally admitted defeat and returned to the magnificent interior of the TARDIS, making a few adjustments on the console here and there. When there was finally nothing left to do, he slumped onto the crash chairs and tapped on the railings. Why did time have to move _so slowly_?

"You know," he said to no one in particular, "it's times like these that I wish River was around. At least she keeps me guessing."

The TARDIS let out a high-pitched whine that sounded a lot like a sob.

The Doctor sat upright. "Are you all right?"

She let out another sob and the Doctor rushed over to the console, checking and double-checking the readings, but everything seemed normal. He had no idea what to do, so as his faithful time machine continued to wail, he simply stroked the various instruments, repeating the words, "Shh… shh, it'll be fine, shh."

The cries eventually died down just as Rory and Amy entered. They were both laughing, but Amy's expression slipped when she saw the Doctor's chalk-white face.

"Doctor?" she said hesitantly, cautiously moving towards him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know… It's the TARDIS…"

Now it was Rory's turn to pale. "We won't be stuck here, will we?"

"No," the Doctor replied, "she's working… fine. Just, before she sounded like she was… crying."

Rory frowned. "Crying? How can a time machine… cry?"

"Handsome bloke like you," Amy punched the Doctor lightly in the arm. "Bet you'd make even a TARDIS swoon."

At that moment, the TARDIS let out a deafening howl. The trio clapped their hands over their ears until the shriek subsided.

"_What_ was _that_?" Rory demanded, turning to the Doctor.

"I don't know," he bit his lip.

"Well that's a first;" Amy attempted a smile, but she was white and worried-looking, "you, not knowing something about your own time machine."

"Yeah…"


	2. Corner of Your Eye

**Okay, I REALLY shouldn't be doing this, seeing as I have to finish reading "the Hobbit" for English over the holidays, but I can't help it!**

It was a few hours later and, despite the Doctor's numerous assurances that she could just have some coffee, Amy was all tired out and refused to go somewhere else until she'd had a nap. So, of course, Rory joined her and the Doctor promised to keep the TARDIS stationary.

He smiled as Amy dragged Rory up the stairs, and then made his way to his own room. He had no intention of sleeping, but since there was nothing better to do he simply lay back onto his bed and sighed, considering where to go next.

It was a few moments before he noticed that strange feeling, like someone was watching him. In the corner of his eye. He turned his head sharply, and he was sure that, just for a second, there was a woman standing beside his bed. Then she vanished.

He sat up and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, scanning the area where he had seen her. Nothing unusual came up, just the TARDIS. Stupid screwdriver was probably scanning the walls or something.

The Doctor just sat, twiddling his thumbs for a few moments, sighing.

"No," he muttered, running out of the room, "too boring."

With that he pelted out of the TARDIS to explore the planet, hoping that Amy wouldn't be annoyed at him if she found out that he'd left them.

_I won't be too long, _he thought to himself. _I just have to stay out of trouble. All right, I might be a while._

**I'm sorry for a really short chapter; I just think it flows better if they're separate. The next one should come around sooner!**


	3. The Traveller

**Woohoo! See, I told you it wouldn't take long ;)**

Surprisingly, the Doctor _did_ stay out of trouble, and at least had a chance that his passengers hadn't woken yet. He strode towards the TARDIS and began fumbling with the lock.

"Doctor?"

He jumped. Maybe she had woken up. "Amy!" he exclaimed, before turning to see it was not Amy hiding in the shadows, but another woman. He frowned. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled sadly. She had thick, shoulder-length red hair; an oval face with a hard-set jaw and her deep blue eyes had a determined look about them. She seemed only a little older than Amy, but her eyes spoke of many hardships, pain, and hundreds of years gone past.

"You speak of names, Doctor," she began, "yet you do not wish others to know your own?"

"Who _are_ you?" he repeated.

"You tell me my name and I'll tell you yours," she raised an eyebrow delicately, as though addressing a challenge.

He laughed. "Believe me, you won't work it out."

She smiled. "Is that so?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, leant forward and whispered into his ear.

"How did you know that?" he voice was hoarse, and his expression one of curiosity. Now he was really interested, though he felt slightly afraid. "Are you from my past or future?"

"Both," she gently stroked the TARDIS's frame. "As well as your present."

He bit his lip; full on scared now. "All right, come on." He gestured towards the doors, expecting to see her eyes light up happily, but her expression remained the same. She pushed past him and entered, before eyeing the room carefully.

As the Doctor trailed in behind her, she pointed to a dint in the wall. "You should get that fixed."

"Oh, she doesn't mind," he replied, his eyes becoming warmer as he spoke of his beloved ship.

But the woman added under her breath, "Bet she does."

It was then that Amy and Rory came down the stairs. Rory yawned and Amy stretched, cat-like, as she recovered from her nap, before noticing their visitor.

"Who's she?"

The woman, who by now was more relaxed and sitting with her legs swinging off the console, waved, smiling. "Afternoon, Amy, Rory."

The Doctor frowned at her. "How do you know about them?"

She laughed. "I know about _all _of them. By the way, how _is_ Martha?" Her eyes twinkled playfully, and he realised that she was not a threat, merely someone who wanted to play around with his mind. Amy and Rory glanced at each other, nonplussed by this exchange.

The woman slid off the console and eyed Rory. "Let's see, you want to go somewhere safe, Amy; somewhere sunny with a beach and Doctor…" a look of sorrow and sympathy flashed in her expression, and she whispered so only he could hear. "Home. Oh, Doctor." Her hand reached forward for a second, as though to take his, before she turned back to the console and began fiddling with various instruments so expertly that she probably hadn't even needed to look at what she was doing.

"You're not coming with us!" Rory exclaimed, before frowning and turning to the Doctor. "Is she, Doctor?"

"Come one, Doctor, you can't go without me!" she smiled slyly.

"Fine," he conceded. "But I'm driving!"

"Hang on a second," Amy argued, "how many people actually know how to fly the TARDIS? Why can't you teach me?"

"Well, because…" he floundered about for a few moments, their guest laughing.

"I'll teach you if you like," she frowned at the Doctor. "Seeing as you haven't reset the coordinates for emergency protocol 1, it'd probably be a safety precaution more than anything else. You don't want Donna seeing the TARDIS if it turns up at her house."

"All right."

Amy laughed and ran over to the woman, hugging her gratefully. A flicker of a frown came over her face as she pulled away, but it disappeared instantly.

"But what are we supposed to call you?" Rory's brow furrowed.

She gazed at the Doctor, waiting for his reaction. "I'm the Traveller."

She got her wish. The Doctor stood up so fast and sonicked her. As he saw the reading his eyes widened. "Two hearts."

Amy looked scared. "Doctor?"

"What does that mean?" Rory finished for her, equally concerned.

"She's…" he seemed unable to speak.

The Traveller's lip curled. "Time Lord."

**Dah, dah DAHH! Ah, good old cliff-hangers ;)**


	4. I Wish I Could

**I am SO sorry for taking so long to put this up, I've had a lot going on and a bit of writer's block for this one. Please accept these excuses as a sacrifice! Anyway, I will try and get more done, it's got the most subscribers of any of my stories, so thank you so much to those twelve people :P

* * *

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For a few minutes they could get no more out of him, he was in such a state of shock, until finally Amy slapped him hard in the face, which wrenched him from his thoughts.

"_What_ is going _on_?" she demanded.

"Ouch!" he stared at Amy incredulously. "You hit me!"

"Doctor!" she pressed, ignoring his exclamations of pain.

"What?"

"Who is she?" asked Rory; who, by now, had left the stairs and was standing beside Amy, looking equally as desperate for information. The Traveller was standing in a corner and watching them with amusement.

"She's… a Time Lady. But that can't be possible!" he argued, seemingly with himself.

Rory frowned. "Why not? There's got to be more of you."

"The Time Lords died out years ago," Amy explained softly. "He's the only one left."

The Doctor rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands in frustration, as though trying to gouge them out. "They didn't die out, they were killed," he dropped his hands, and the humans saw his eyes were glistening with tears. "By me."

Amy's eyes widened and Rory's jaw popped open.

"You killed your own species?" Rory gaped.

"I had no choice!" the Doctor yelled back.

Rory looked down sheepishly. "Sorry."

"There was a war." They all jumped as the Traveller emerged from her shadowy corner, forgetting she was there. "The greatest war in the whole of time and space," she gave a wry smile. "The Time Lords against the Daleks. The whole of the Universe was at stake; every planet and every time was dying. The only way to end it was to kill both sides," she looked at the Doctor, both Time Lords had tears in their eyes. "So you did it."

Amy and Rory were speechless. Strong and hard-willed, they had never seen the Doctor break down like this.

"I had no choice," he repeated, as though saying it would ward off the guilt.

The Traveller went to his side and took his hand. "I know," she whispered.

Amy and Rory looked on in silence as the Doctor sobbed and the Traveller comforted him. There was nothing to say. He had always known it was necessary, but remorse had always been there. That was why he'd hated himself more than anything else. Even in the worst, most desperate moments he had had never broken down. But now, the Traveller had brought back his misery.

Once he had ceased his crying, he looked up and tried to smile.

"So…" Rory began once he thought it was fine to speak, "what do we do with her?" He nodded towards the Traveller.

"She's coming with us," he said protectively.

He went to draw nearer to the console after Rory and Amy had left the room, but the Traveller took his arm and he stared deep into her cerulean eyes.

"You know me," she whispered desperately.

He turned away. "I wish I could."

* * *

**Short, I know, and I'm REALLY sorry about that, but I really wanted to upload something, so it was short or nothing (for a while). Hopefully I'll be able to get more up (and sooner) next time, but no promises there. Fingers crossed! Don't forget to review and subscribe! :)**


	5. Truths

**Well I've gotten two more subscribers so far, hooray! (That's a lot for me) :P This story is definitely my most popular, so hopefully I'll be able to concentrate on it more. (My excuses if I'm updating slowly are now 1) Writer's Block, 2) Homework, 3) Getting hooked on writing another story but will definitely not forget this one! And 4) another story his passed this one in popularity.) But I will try and concentrate! I promise!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Doctor or Rory (sadly) or Amy. The Traveller is MINE! Well, kind of… you'll see later.**

"I don't trust her."

"Amy," Rory sighed, taking the girl's hand, "the Doctor knows what he's doing. We'll be fine."

He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away. "The Doctor said it was impossible for another Time Lord to exist, so how did she get here?"

"How should know? Maybe she _travelled in time_ or something," Rory replied.

"I just _don't_ trust her," Amy bit her fingernail. "What if it's a trap? What if she's just trying to get closer to the Doctor to trick him?"

"I don't know, Amy."

"Rory," she turned to him, "we could be in danger. There's something about her."

"Amy," he sighed again, "we can worry about this later. For now, let's just sleep."

Amy frowned. "We slept an hour ago!"

"_You_ did," Rory mumbled, "I couldn't get to sleep. The TARDIS kept making weird noises whenever I was nearly unconscious."

Amy laughed. "Don't tell me you're scared of the TARDIS!"

"No," he protested, "it's just noisy, that's all."

She laughed again. "All right. We'll sleep."

He kissed her and they curled up on the bed behind them before falling asleep.

Back in the console room, the Doctor moved closer towards the Traveller and she could see curiosity and frustration in his gaze. But it was with a more casual interest that he asked; "How long have you known me? In your timeline, how long would we have travelled together?"

The Traveller smiled and moved towards him, coming within an inch of him and brushing hair off his face above her. "It's hard to tell. But I would say around four hundred years."

His expression only flickered for a second, but he didn't seem too surprised.

"Oh Doctor," the red-haired beauty before him whispered, her eyes shining. "You _know_ who I am to you. Tell me you know."

It was more of a plea than a command, but he responded all the same. "The Traveller. A brilliant Time Lady who attended the Academy on Gallifrey. She later had a daughter, Miranda, with another ingenious Time Lord name the Doctor." He smiled slightly, but his eyes were also damp. "Vanished soon after and never got to meet her granddaughter Susan." He put his hand to her cheek. "What _happened_ to you?"

The Traveller opened her mouth slightly, rendered speechless, before turning away. "They came for me in the night."

"_Who_ did?" he took hold of her hand and turned her to face him. "_Who_ came for you?"

The Traveller looked down. "The Council. They converted me."

"Into _what?_" the Doctor urged her.

Without warning, the Traveller took the Doctor's hands and pressed them to the sides of her face, before pouring her memories into his mind.

He saw flashes of light, screams, and a shapeless form, which finally became a tall, blue box.

He stepped away, horror-struck. "How…?"

She turned her tear-stained face away from him. "They were experimenting, trying to make the most powerful and intelligent TARDIS's… by taking Time Lords and Ladies and putting their minds, their souls in shells, transforming them."

"Who's TARDIS were-?" the Doctor began, but the Traveller cut him off.

"Yours."

The Doctor didn't appear to be too astonished. He even gave a small nod. "Yeah, I get that, but what I don't understand is how you're… Time Lady. You got _changed_. Shouldn't that be permanent?"

"I'm… not real," she looked down, tucking her flaming hair behind her ear. "It's a hologram. An illusion."

He frowned and moved a hand towards her cheek and felt her soft, warm skin. She closed her eyes and the corners of her mouth twisted upwards.

"Of course," he whispered, pulling away, "a physical hologram."

The Traveller nodded. "I look here, I _feel_ here… but I'm not. I'm just a physical embodiment of," she rested a hand on the wall of the TARDIS, "her. I _am_ her. I feel what she feels; she feels what I feel, hear, see. It took me a _long_ time to create a hologram this advanced." She smiled, "But I did it."

"Yeah," he smiled back. "So, you can feel?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"So that means…"

The Traveller cut him off, running her hands through his hair and pulling his head towards her, kissing him. Then kissed for several moments, not noticing a giggling Amy and a gaping Rory entering the room.

"What, you kiss her, but not me?" Amy said in mock-affront. The Doctor pulled away from the Time Lady. "My hair not red enough for you?"

"Amy!" the Doctor sighed.

"Yeah, Amy!" Rory glared.

"Sorry. You know I love you," Amy crooned to her husband. She turned back to the Time Lords. "Honestly, Doctor, you've only known her five minutes!"

"Actually," the Traveller said, suddenly brighter than before, "more like four centuries."

"What?" the humans frowned in astonishment.

"Well," the Time Lords began, before explaining what the Doctor had just uncovered, about the Traveller being his TARDIS, though leaving out everything that had happened before that. It was too personal to speak of. The Doctor had always liked to keep details of his past a secret, and although she disagreed with him on that, the Traveller his beliefs. She did not fill his companions in on that particular aspect of his discovery.

"So I guess you'll be staying with us then!" Amy said brightly, having learnt that odd things like this happened constantly when with the Doctor.

Rory, on the other, was still adjusting. "Does anyone else find her travelling in herself a bit weird?"

"Yeah- that doesn't sound right," Amy frowned. "So," she turned to the Traveller, "can you teach me how to fly… you?"

She laughed. "Come on."

Amy grinned and bounced towards her fellow redhead who proceeded to show her how to work the various knobs and switches on the console.

**Another chapter! I'm updating slowly… Now, I've got heaps of subscribers, but please, comments people! For me? **


	6. Flicker

**Another chapter **_**sloowwwllllyyyyy **_**updated. Sorry to my loyal subbers. You know I love you. But seriously people; review! I was tempted to threaten not to update until I got more reviews, but I probably wouldn't get it up very soon, even if you all **_**were**_** good little boys and girls :P**

It was a few hours before Amy finally got the hang of the console. The Doctor was fairly sure that she had only been pleased that the Traveller was staying so she could be taught to fly the machine; she seemed wary and suspicious of the Traveller. The Time Lady could clearly sense this cautiousness, and although she was usually very affectionate of Amy, this mistrust hurt and wearied her and made her irritable. This became apparent to the Doctor when his companion first began to receive instruction from his love.

"It's just like driving a car, yeah?" Amy had said; even though she tried to hide it, she was very much enjoying the lesson.

"No, not really," the Traveller said flatly.

"Good," Amy replied impudently. "I failed my exam in that too."

The Traveller's mouth twitched. After the initial hostility, the Doctor relaxed. A catfight didn't seem too likely after all.

But now, since Amy insisted she understood the basics, the Traveller and the Doctor were leaning against the safety railing watching with amusement as Amy hovered around the console, trying to operate it by herself. Rory was at her side, constantly asking if she knew what she was doing and that they weren't about to crash into a supernova. Once Amy had assured him after the umpteenth time that she was sure of her actions, he hesitantly attempted to help. He reached towards the levers, but Amy slapped his hand away.

"Oi! My lesson," she growled.

He pulled back quickly as the Traveller and the Doctor sniggered.

Hearing them, Amy glared at the two. "He's my husband, I'll do what I like with him!"

"Oh, I know," the Traveller murmured meaningfully.

Rory shifted around uncomfortably. "What do you mean?"

She smirked. "The walls have eyes."

Amy coughed awkwardly as the Doctor frowned, not comprehending the insinuation.

"No, don't get it," he shook his head finally.

"Don't think about it too much," the Traveller smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

"You can show him later," Amy grinned, receiving a glare from the Traveller. To Rory's gaping and Amy's laugh, the scowl became a wink.

"Aren't Time Lords supposed to all seem asexual or something?" Amy chortled.

"No, just this Time Lord," she smiled, patting the Doctor on the back as he continued to frown in confusion.

"Oi! I'm… most probably heterosexual," he mumbled.

"I'm sure you are," Amy said.

"Mmm. He definitely is," the Traveller smirked.

"O-kay!" Rory butted in loudly. "I think that's enough talk for now."

Amy and the Traveller snickered while the Doctor continued to stare at them in bewilderment. The cheerful and relaxed atmosphere was shattered as the TARDIS lurched to one side suddenly and a blast of light sent the Traveller shooting forcefully away from the others and leaving her sprawled, unconscious, on the floor. The Doctor ran to her side.

"Traveller? Traveller!" he shook her, before pulling out his sonic screwdriver and scanning her.

Nothing showed up out of the ordinary. Now he thought about it, the TARDIS was too advanced for the sonic screwdriver. He had just had to use his own knowledge whenever she was broken. And the Traveller and the TARDIS were one. She _was _the TARDIS.

To his despair, the time machine around him was not making her usual comforting hum, but a wheeze. Fear gripped him stronger than ever before as he shook the Time Lady in his arms.

"Traveller! Please," he whispered, so Amy and Rory behind him couldn't hear, "I need you, come on!"

Scared she may never wake, his worry was increased as the Traveller began to flicker. She was, after all, a hologram.

"No!" he screamed. "Hold on."

He rocked her in his arms, stroking her hair. Tears welled in Amy's eyes and she covered her mouth in shock as Rory held her comfortingly, also racked with sympathy for the pleading man on the floor, who was also holding close the one he loved. This was an anguish and hopelessness that both Rory and Amy were familiar with, having both felt it themselves, each for the other.

"Please," the Doctor begged. "PLEASE don't go! Not again. I… I love you. You can't leave me here!"

Suddenly, the Traveller disappeared from his arms and re-appeared, sniggering, at Amy and Rory's side. The Doctor looked back at her and she stopped laughing.

"What's going on?" she looked around in confusion.

The Doctor ran to her. "But… you were here."

"What?"

"The TARDIS moved and you fell," Amy said. "We thought you were…"

"I'm fine," she laughed, but no one joined her.

"How do you feel?" the Doctor asked her.

"I feel _fine_, Doctor."

"Traveller, you flickered," he whispered. "Your hologram disappeared for a split second."

Her smile dropped abruptly. "Are you sure?"

He took her hand and pressed it against his face. It was wet with tears. He wouldn't shed tears for no reason.

"I…" her voice cracked in shock and fear. "Show me."

He shook his head. "No. Believe me, you don't want to see. I don't want you to."

Before he could argue any more, she lifted her other hand to his face as well and closed her eyes, feeling his memory flow into her. Once she had seen what she was searching for, her eyes snapped open and she sucked in a great, rattling gasp. She slipped back and the Doctor caught her, his hands gripping her upper arms.

"Are you all right? Do you know what's wrong?"

"It… doesn't matter," she stepped away groggily.

"Traveller, what happened?" he tried to read her face, but there was nothing.

She leant forward and whispered in his ear; "I love you, Doctor. Just trust me." She pulled away. "I'll be fine." Amy hugged her, making her laugh. "Oh, so you like me now?" she asked.

Amy smiled. "You're not so bad."

Even Rory shared with her the most fleeting embrace. "You're okay then?" he asked.

"How many times do I have to say it, I'm _fine!_" she laughed.

Rory smiled, yet there was something in the Doctor's eyes that told him that something was very definitely wrong, he just didn't know what.

**It's been 20 days since I last updated, but I really am trying to roll the chapters out fast. Even if I don't, I **_**am**_** trying. Once again, **_**please**_** review. Can it be my Christmas present? **** Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, can you still please review? Just tell me if you like it or not, or give me some ideas for the next chapter. I know where this is going to end, but I have no idea what to do for the middle, so ideas are welcome. I'll credit you in my Author's Note. Cookies to those who do! Love you guys. 3**


	7. Blunt and Ignorant

**Another chapter! I should probably add a disclaimer/warning/summary thing shouldn't I? Okay, I will.  
****Rating: T (because I'm paranoid)  
****Warnings: Some parts may get a bit intense (emotionally), sexual references.  
****Characters: The Doctor, the Traveller/TARDIS, Amy and Rory  
****Pairing: 11/TARDIS (Sounds weird when I put it like that… But hey, there have been many stranger pairings in the past)  
****Summary: ****The Doctor had always shared a special connection with the TARDIS, but one that is deeper than it had originally seemed. Please R&R, even if you don't like!  
****Did I do that right? Knowing me, I'll completely forget to put it in any more chapters. Enjoy!**

The Doctor never pressured anyone into telling him anything they didn't want known - unless it could help save the world - and that was what the Traveller liked most about him. She was open about most things, but that was because everyone in her life had pressured her into telling them everything. She'd been used to it (after two hundred years, you don't have much choice but to _get_ used to it), but when she met the Doctor, he had been such a reverse of everyone else she knew and that drew her to him. He was completely oblivious, of course, but her bluntness had balanced his ignorance. When she had met him, he was brilliant, but despite his uncanny ability to constantly get in trouble, he was strangely shy. The Traveller brought out his brash side, and with her he could be completely honest and he told her everything, and she him. That was why her insistence on not informing him of what was happening to her stunned and unsettled him. But he knew she would tell him if it was serious.

With the Doctor's reluctant permission, Amy flew the TARDIS to their next location. The Doctor and Rory were very insistent to know where they had landed.

"Amy, I need to make sure we're not somewhere dangerous," the Doctor pressed.

"We're not, don't worry," the Traveller smiled.

"How do you know?" Rory asked her.

"I thought you would've picked it up by now," she teased. "I am the TARDIS."

"So you know where we are?"

"Yes, I do."

"Tell me, I hate surprises," the Doctor butted in.

The Traveller rolled her eyes. "No you don't."

"All right, I love them, but tell me anyway."

"Don't you trust me?" Amy glowered.

"Of course I do! …Just not with the TARDIS."

"Excuse me?"

"No, she did well," the Traveller told him.

Mimicking the Doctor, Amy ran to the doors before the others, hand on the handle and said in a mock-serious voice. "Behind these doors could be anything, anywhere, anywhen."

"I do not sound like that!" the Doctor protested.

"Actually, you do," the Traveller laughed.

"Oi!" he frowned. "You're ganging up on me!"

"Rory's on your side, aren't you Rory?" Amy asked Rory.

"Er… yes."

"What if I _couldn't_ throw you into a supernova?" the Doctor asked.

"In that case… no," Rory said.

"Why is _no one_ on the side of the 908 year old Time Lord!" the Doctor fumed.

The Traveller laughed, grinning. "Because I'm better at being a 908 year old Time Lord. And I'm actually 910 and female, yet I still do a better job. Also, I can travel in time."

"I travel in time!"

"Yes, but you need my help to do it," she sniggered.

"Amy!" Rory whispered to her, "Open the doors before they start attacking each other."

"Good idea." She cleared her throat. "Lords, ladies… and the Doctor," she added, "I give you Rio!" She said dramatically, throwing the doors open. Amy grinned and ran out, dragging Rory along with her as the other two exchanged glances.

The Traveller burst out laughing at the expression on the Doctor's face; he'd gone slightly green at the thought of walking around scantily clad under the smouldering sun, surrounded by other scantily clad individuals.

"Haven't got anything to hide, have you, Doctor?" the Traveller grinned, causing him glare at her.

"I might just…" He stepped out of the TARDIS and, winding his way awkwardly around the various bodies, located his two companions. Amy was looking at various bikinis at a stall, Rory standing by her side.

Amy laughed when she saw the Doctor. "You're not going to swim in that, are you?"

"Yeah, sorry, do you mind if the Traveller and I stay in the TARDIS?" he asked.

"I didn't think this would be your kind of thing."

The Doctor nodded. "Thanks. Right, well you two have fun. You know where to find us."

"Just…" Amy began hesitantly, grasping the Doctor's arm before he turned away, "be careful."  
"Amy? What do you mean?" he replied, scanning her face for information.

"There's just _something_ about her," Amy told him carefully.

"Who is she, Doctor?" Rory asked, joining the discussion.

"The Tra-" the Doctor began, but Rory cut him off.

"_Who_ is she?"

The Doctor bit his lip, before turning away, leaving Rory and Amy staring after him.

"I thought you started liking her," Rory whispered to Amy. Amy shook her head. "But you were being nice to her," Rory frowned.

"She obviously means something to the Doctor," she explained. "I'm not hurting him."

"And without them we might be killed by aliens," Rory added.

"Exactly."

**Yeah, a filler chapter, but it's better than nothing… right? Please leave some plot ideas in reviews or PMs because I have Writer's Block. Gah! I know how it's ending, but the middle is unknown to me… I would have updated sooner, but having your city hit by a tropical cyclone and being without power for five days does tend to delay these things... Review? **


	8. Reminiscence

_**SO**_** much has happened since I last wrote; I've fallen in love, had exams and assignments, developed terrible Writers' Block, fallen out of love, gotten awesome video editing equipment, and watched the **_**Doctor Who**_** episode of my dreams (**_**The Doctor's Wife**_**). Like I said, a lot. But I have not forgotten you, my dear readers! So here it is. Chapter eight, this time inspired by 42CatsinBlueConverse, to whom I am very grateful (THANK YOU!) :D**

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor and the Traveller were spending the afternoon in the console room reminiscing about their life on Gallifrey. Laughing at old jokes, and pranks they'd pulled on their professors at the Academy. It was an unusual experience for the Doctor, discussing a past that he would have happily forgotten just a few days ago. Not because he regretted those times, but because the pain of knowing that everyone in those memories were gone was too much.

With Rose, his memories of her had kept him fighting, but that was because she was alive and living her own life. With Gallifrey? It was best left in the past. But now here he was, talking about it as easily and lightly as anything else. The Traveller being there with him seemed to make the pain go away. It wasn't until she brought up a particular topic that it became a more serious discussion.

"Remember our first kiss?" she laughed. Her laughed died away and an awkward pause was left hanging in the air.

"Yeah," the Doctor said shortly, wanting to break the silence. A smile played across his lips. "After 'adjusting' the headmaster's podium…"

"…So it was directly under a vat of dishwater…" the Traveller continued for him, grinning.

"…That we'd just been using to wash the dinner plates as punishment for our previous stunt," the Doctor finished. "Blimey, the professors were angry."

"We'd just sabotaged the headmaster's big speech, what did you expect?" she began to laugh even harder at the recollection. "I don't think I've ever run that fast since!"

"Neither have I," the Doctor agreed, "and I do a lot of running."

There was a very long pause.

"What's happening to you, Traya?"

She flinched. She hadn't heard the nickname for years.

"I don't know," she replied, running her hand through her hair. She stopped and looked at the Doctor. "Thete."

He smiled and gently caressed her cheek, to which she closed her eyes in rapture. "Tell me," he persisted.

Her eyes flickered open and she gave him a look of annoyance. "I told you, I don't know."

"Oh come on, Traya, we both know you know _exactly_ what's happening."

"So you think I'm _lying_ to you, now?" she glared, sliding off the seats they'd been resting on and turning to face him.

"I don't know," he replied testily, "are you?"

Her lips thinned in a way he _knew_ did not bode well. She was readying herself for an argument, and his body responded by tensing up. But his preparation for the shock wave he had expected to be hit by was in vain, as the Traveller's bottom lip quivered. Before the Doctor knew what was happening, her body began to convulse with racked sobs. And losing any self-control she had previously tried to maintain, she fell to the floor of the console room, her hand covering her mouth as she attempted to stem the flow of tears that were now overwhelming her.

Feeling too desperate to comfort her to be shocked, the Doctor rushed to her side and gently embraced her as she moaned.

"Something's happening to me," she wailed. "I-I'm fading." She buried her head in the Doctor's chest and continued to cry uncontrollably. Finally, when the tears had ceased, she looked up. He leaned down towards her and closed his eyes as their lips gently met.

It was soft, at first. Then the Traveller became more and more passionate, up to the point where she was nearly overwhelming the Doctor, but he returned the kiss with equal passion. His fingers entangled themselves in her hair, the white of his skin contrasting powerfully with her fiery red hair, and she wound her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her. She parted his lips with her own and a tingling sensation shot through their bodies, from where their tongues had met to their now-curling toes. It was like an electric shock, and the Doctor surrendered himself to her blind passion, his hands intertwined with her thick strands of hair. Finally, they pulled away, breathless.

There they remained. Motionless - aside from the rise and fall of their chests – seated on the floor of the TARDIS, the Doctor's hands resting on the back of the Traveller's head, while her own hands rested around his waist, each drawing the other into an embrace. The Doctor shifted his hand to her cheek and gently swept away a solitary tear still clinging to her face. He then attempted to move his hand back to its previous location, but the Traveller held it in place. He gave a small smile and his hand remained on her cheek. He caressed it gently and she returned his smile.

"You should sleep," she whispered softly.

"And you being a hologram, you don't _need_ to sleep," he pointed out.

"Yes," she smiled. "Of course, I could blink out temporarily if I get tired of being humanoid," she joked.

"It takes a _huge_ amount of energy to create a solid hologram," the Doctor frowned. "If you did disappear you might never get back."

The Traveller bit her lip. "I'll avoid that then…"

A long silence hung in the air. Finally, it was broken by the arrival of Amy and Rory, burst into the TARDIS, panting.

"Dinosaur!" Rory shouted. "On the beach."

"What?" the Traveller laughed, receiving a look from Amy as she raised herself quickly from the ground.

"There's a dinosaur in Rio," Amy explained.

"Rift?" the Doctor, also standing, asked the Traveller.

"Just what I was thinking."

She turned and strode purposefully towards a door leading away from the console room. Pulling it open, she reached inside and revealed four massive tranquiliser guns.

"That was a bathroom yesterday," Rory frowned.

"And now it's a storage room," the Traveller shrugged.

She handed out the bulky weapons.

"No, no, I don't do guns!" the Doctor protested.

"It's not a gun," the Traveller pointed out, "it's a tranquiliser."

"Well it's still very gun-ish," the Doctor said stubbornly.

Sighing, the Traveller – with surprising strength – threw the gun onto the floor, adjusting the acoustics of the TARDIS so as to muffle the clatter.

"What do you suggest then?" she demanded.

"I say we find who made the rift in the first place."

"Fine," she muttered grudgingly, making the Doctor grin. Not very often was he victorious in an argument with the redhead.

He raced to the console and began darting around the controls, to her great amusement.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

He looked up, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Rolling her eyes, the Traveller lifted a hand and clicked her fingers. The TARDIS snapped into action, whirring and clanking.

"Hold on, why did you need to snap your fingers?" Rory asked. "Couldn't you just _think_ and that would happen?"

The Traveller shrugged. "It added effect."

The Doctor's mouth twitched.

**That's all for now, folks :P Have a kinda clear idea of where I'm going now. Thanks to everyone for all the support so far. I really, REALLY appreciate it **


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